Use BUGS to Beat High Blood Pressure?!?
By
Natalie Moore
Posted February 14, 2017
Dear Living Well Daily Reader,
Valentine’s Day is all about the heart.
But it’s also about candies, cookies and other confections…
And unfortunately, these sugary treats can break your heart — literally.
You see, sweets like these can lead to high blood pressure, which can put you on the fast track for a heart attack or stroke.
But research has just found a dead-simple way to help get your blood pressure back under control. And it involves some simple foods you can easily incorporate into tonight’s Valentine’s Day dinner.
The secret to lower blood pressure starts with the bacteria or “bugs” in your gut.
The healthier your gut bacteria, the better your blood pressure numbers – simple as that.
For a recent study, scientists took a group of rats and gave them antibiotics to kill off the healthy bacteria in their guts (which they do, by the way).
They then transported some of that gut bacteria (or what was left of it) into a group of healthy mice.
And guess what happened? The normal, healthy mice ended up with high blood pressure.
Just being exposed to unhealthy, out-of-balance gut bacteria was enough to affect their blood pressure and put their hearts at risk.
And the same goes for you, too. Because this isn’t the first time science has seen an important link between gut health and blood pressure.
A recent meta-analysis of nine randomized clinical trials shows that folks who eat probiotic (good gut bugs) saw a remarkable reduction in blood pressure.
Luckily, it’s easy to add probiotics to your diet — just eat fermented foods like yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha.
If these pungent foods aren’t for you, no problem.
You can get probiotic supplements at your local pharmacy. Be sure to pick up one with multiple strains of bacteria if you really want to boost your heart health for Valentine’s Day and every day after.
Live well,
Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Sources
[1] Unhealthy gut microbes a cause of hypertension, researchers find
Written By Natalie Moore
Natalie Moore is a dedicated health researcher with a passion for finding healthy, natural, and science-based solutions. After a decade of direct healthcare experience in western and natural medicine, she was involved in public health research before joining Living Well Daily.
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